With an overwhelming amount of beauty products available to consumers, brands are staying competitive with exciting activation efforts to reach target audiences. Here, a roundup of beauty brands seeking to connect beauty lovers with pop-up “try-before-you-buy” shopping experiences.

Barneys New York to Test Indie Brands with Pop-Ups


Barneys New York has recently launched pop-ups featuring emerging skin care, makeup and hair brands that will rotate on the store’s Madison Avenue main beauty and men’s floors. Most brands will receive a counter for consumer testing, back wall space and room for signage. The indie brands were chosen for their uniqueness, and many represent key market trends such as K-beauty, CBD and natural beauty. With the new pop-up series, the retailer is aiming to gauge consumer interest, and is also hoping the initiative will be a gateway to new foot-traffic from fans of the selected brands.


Kim Kardashian West Announces Second Pop-Up

Kim Kardashian West used Instagram last week to share the news of a second pop-up shop opening in California, offering consumers the opportunity to test and purchase makeup and scent products from her KKW Beauty line. “Excited to announce that our next KKW Beauty and Fragrance pop-up will be coming soon to @southcoastplaza this Holiday 2018/2019,” she posted. Exact dates and details have not been announced, but fans are encouraged to sign up for the brand’s newsletter to learn how they can win a chance to attend a private in-store party with the star to celebrate the opening. Kim’s first pop-up boutique was at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles from June 20 to July 27 earlier this year.

Rimmel London’s (Street) Art of Beauty Tour


Coty’s Rimmel London is hitting the road with its (Street) Art of Beauty Tour to bring its color cosmetics and education to consumers within its key markets. A mobile bus covered in an insta-worthy graphic design by the brand’s Chief Artistic Officer and graffiti artist, Indie184, will visit seven cities over a two-month period. A native New Yorker, Indie184 was appointed to her position in January and tasked with evolving the brand’s revamped edgy persona, which includes a focus on the identifying and celebrating street beauty trends. Rimmel’s (Street) Art of Beauty Tour will be staffed with makeup artists who will provide free, bold eye and lip makeovers using the brand’s best-selling products as well as a new lineup of nude shades from its Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour collection. Consumers will also be able to take advantage of product giveaways and coupons. The tour kicked off in Los Angeles on October 14 will also visit Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Houston and Miami. Specific locations within each city will be announced.

Brandless Brings Pop-Up Experience to NYC
Brandless will be opening up its first-ever NYC pop-up shop from October 24 to November 4 at the Milk Building in the Meatpacking District. The direct-to-consumer company will offer a curated assortment of more than 350 of its items priced at $3. Activations will include tasting flight menus, a full tasting wall of non-GMO, organic and vegan snacks, a fair-trade coffee experience and a clean beauty lounge. There will also be interactive storytelling installations focused on the brand’s purpose-driven mission. Additionally, visitors will get first looks at new releases and can purchase a “Best of Brandless” bundle specially curated for the NYC shop. The NYC activation follows the brand’s first successful Pop-up with Purpose which was held in Los Angeles in May.